73.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesUVI Student Entrepreneurs Win $60,000 in 13D Competition

UVI Student Entrepreneurs Win $60,000 in 13D Competition

Three budding student entrepreneurs at the University of the Virgin Islands have won $60,000 to pursue their dreams at the annual 13D Student Entrepreneurship Competition held April 23 on the St. Thomas campus. High school students participated in their own 13D Competition.
Allison De Gazon, a student on St. Croix working on an MBA degree, took home the top prize of $30,000 for her business plan called Cruzan Organix Farm. Second place Patsy Breunlin won $20,000 for her project, Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden. She is a non-traditional student who is enrolled in UVI’s entrepreneurship program. Christopher Williams took third place, winning $10,000 for his business model called Project A, a company that writes and produces children’s books with a Caribbean theme. He is enrolled in the MBA program at the St. Thomas campus.
Other UVI competitors included Kimberlee Smith whose business idea is called Nannies to the Rescue, which would provide child care services to students and staff at UVI; June Wyatt, with an idea to form a company called VI Educational Consulting to assist high school seniors with their college preparations and scholarship applications; and communication majors Roda Osman and Brandon Bougouneau, who plan to develop a non-profit radio club for students to provide financial support the UVI’s radio station WUVI 1090 AM. All of them are from the UVI St. Thomas campus.
The UVI winners were joined by the high school students who are participating in their own 13D Competition. Ericson Etienne, a tenth grader from Good Hope Country School on St. Croix, was awarded $1,000 for his idea of producing electro-luminous clothing. His clothing features wires that light up and can be set to blink using sound activation. Judges awarded $500 to the team of Curtney Grell and Anneil Alexander, eleventh graders from Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS), for their video game-based arcade business called AC International Arcade Association. Muhammed Rachid and Nia Ward, also CAHS eleventh graders, won $250 for a project called Fashionable Hoodies. Each high school winner also received a Samsung tablet.
The high school part of the competition ended with a drawing for a one-year UVI scholarship for one student, which was presented by Innovative. The company is a sponsor of UVI’s entrepreneurship competition. The winner was Jamilyn Browne, who, along with his teammate Schawandai George, invented Fantazie Advertising and Marketing. Both are eleventh graders at CAHS. Browne’s scholarship will cover tuition and fees at UVI, and it is valued at up to $5,000.
According to UVI President Dr. David Hall, entrepreneurship has become one of the university’s defining features. “It is embedded in our strategic plan. We want all of our students to develop sensitivity to what it means to be and entrepreneur when they graduate. Each of you, by participating in this competition, has exposed yourself to ideas and inner strengths that can transform your lives. I applaud you for that.” President Hall said.
The UVI 13D Student Entrepreneurship Competitions for both high school and university students are made possible by a $5 million gift from investment strategist and entrepreneur Kiril Sokoloff, founder of 13D Research on St. Thomas. The gift also supports a Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship Endowed Chair and an Entrepreneurial Speaker Series at UVI. Innovative Companies has made a significant long term commitment to support the entrepreneurship effort.
For more information, contact Dr. Glenn Metts, UVI associate professor of management and competition organizer, at 693-1303.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.